Tag Archives: S&P 500

In my opinion, the launch of a new Option Writing category by Morningstar this week has tremendous potential to boost long-term interest in and acceptance of options-based strategies by portfolio managers, financial advisers, and consultants. On April 29, 2016, Morningstar is adding a new Option Writing category to its U.S Retail Category system, and the […]

I’ve come to two realizations about the CBOE Volatility Index, better known as VIX, in my time at S&P Dow Jones Indices. First, this index, which is based on the prices of S&P 500 options, is known throughout the world. I have been fortunate to have lived in some interesting places – Hong Kong, London, […]

In a recent podcast with Andrew Horowitz from The Disciplined Investor, I discussed what the VIX is, how it is structured and common misconceptions about the index. Click here to listen to the full podcast.

Besides commodities, volatility is another example of the application of futures-based indices. Spot volatility, as measured by the VIX, is not tradeable as the index represents the weighted average of implied volatilities of various options on the S&P 500. Prior to the introduction of VIX futures on the Chicago Board Options Exchange in 2004, equity […]

We find it amazing how many times the markets, the media, and many, many analysts are always waiting for that next crucial data point. And when that “important” data point or speech finally arrives, it turns out so many times to be a non-event. When the news is bad, but the market rallies, the spinsters […]

May 2012 was a restless month in the US equity market. The S&P 500 Index declined 6% and VIX rose 40% from 17.15 (4/30/2012) to 24.06 (5/31/2012). The S&P 500 VIX Short Term Futures Index and the S&P 500 VIX Mid Term Futures Index rose 28.71% and 13.13%, respectively. The S&P 500 Dynamic VIX Futures […]

Several volatility indexes (including VXGOG, VIX, OVX, VXN, VXEEM, and GVZ) rose more than 35% last month www.cboe.com/volatility The S&P 500 Index (TR) declined by 6% in May. The BXM and PUT Indexes took in premium that helped cushion their downside moves in May. www.cboe.com/benchmarks * Please note that indexes are not directly investable. Options […]

On February 8th, I discussed the use of the inverse VIX ETP (XIV) to collect the roll yield from the VIX futures. When stocks fall and volatility rises, however, such a naked short position drops drastically. From 4/2 to 4/10, XIV dropped from 12.29 to 9.94, and lost 19% of its value (it’s now back […]